Maeve McKeeby -- Belgium (Home Club: Schenectady)

November 19, 2015

It feels very surreal that a quarter of my exchange is already over! I have now been in Belgium for nearly 100 days! This past month has perhaps been one of the most exciting months I have had thus far. This past month I have visited more of Belgium and also was able to go to Paris and London! During the fall school break the Rotary districts here organized trips to London and Paris and I was fortunate to participate in both trips.  I was able to spend Halloween in Paris with many other Rotary exchange students! The trip was organized by BRESA (Belgium Rotary Exchange Student Association) and was for three days. We visited the Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay Museum, Arc de Triomphe, Champs- Elysee, Monmarte, Sacre- Coeur, and Notre Dame. The trip was a lot of fun and it was really cool to travel with people from all over the world! Luckily, my trip to Paris was a week before the terrorist attacks so I was safe in Belgium. Two days after I returned from Paris I travelled to the northern city of Tournai to board a bus with other exchange students headed to London!

To get to London we went through France, and then boarded the ferry to England. One of the most memorable parts of my trip to London was not actually in London but was when we were on the bus in France when we drove by a Refugee camp. Seeing the hundreds of tents and the conditions people were living in was a true reality check and made me realize just how lucky I am. I will have three different homes this year in Belgium, and have a home in the USA, meanwhile some people are living in tents praying for food and survival. After we got off the ferry in Dover, England, it was very strange to be on the opposite side of the road. Before travelling to London we stopped in Canterbury and visited the small city and Cathedral. Canterbury was a beautiful little town, it had a very European feel to it with very cool architecture. We also visited the Canterbury cathedral which is where some of Harry Potter was filmed so that was very cool. Once we got to London we visited Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds wax museum, the British Museum, and saw Momma Mia! When we were at Windsor Castle, which is about 30 minutes outside of London the Queen was in Residence which was very cool to think I was in the same building as the Queen of England! I really loved London, it’s a beautiful city and it was nice to speak English again for a couple days!

Despite the break I had from French in London I am really happy with how much my French has improved since I’ve arrived. Every week I notice my French is a little better and it’s a very rewarding feeling. My host family is really great and I’m not ready to leave them in a month!

Since the terrorist attacks in Paris last week Belgium has been a bit on edge. I still feel safe here but I have noticed that there has been a lot more police and security in public places, especially on the trains. There has been lots of raids about twenty minutes from my house here as the Belgium police continues to search for suspects who may have been involved in the Paris attacks. Despite the raids being very close to my house I live in a safe place and my host family has assured me that I am safe. This has been a very active and busy month for me and I look forward to spending the holidays in Belgium!

Julia Lapper -- France (Home Club: Glens Falls)

November 14, 2015

    In light of yesterday’s events, I figured I should send an update. At the time of the attacks, I was safely at home, 15 miles outside of central Paris in the suburb of Lagny-sur-Marne. In an attempt to shed some perspective on the situation here, I thought I might start by sharing some of my recent posts from Facebook.

    Today while reading a book about an American woman who lived in Paris in the 1920s, I got to a chapter about her visit to the breathtaking Château de Chenonceau, which I visited a few weeks ago. It's still unbelievable that I'm actually doing all of this incredible stuff and going to all of these amazing places. I wake up everyday thinking it's just a dream. I am so thankful for all of the once in a lifetime experiences I've had so far and excited to take on whatever comes next. That's what this year is all about. 

                   --November 13, 2015  

    Ce matin quand je me réveille il y avait 120 morts et maintenant les numéros des corps continuent monter. Je suis encore sous le choc. Mes pensées sont avec les familles des victimes et tous ceux touchés par cette tragédie. Restez fort. Nous sommes tous Parisien.

This morning when I woke up 120 were dead and now the numbers continue to rise. I am still in shock. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and everyone affected by this tragedy. Stay strong. We are all Parisian.

--November 14, 2015    

    The first post is from yesterday afternoon, before the attacks. When I said I was waiting to see what would come next, this was the last thing I was expecting. Today, the entire country of France is reeling as we continue to learn new details about last night’s events. All schools and government buildings have been closed temporarily. When I went out today, Lagny had turned into a ghost town. I walked the dog for an hour without passing a single person on the street.

    Having been raised in the post 9/11 world, I am not unfamiliar with stories of the despicable terror some people are capable of inflicting. However, this is the closest I have ever been when a tragedy of this scale occurred. Now, in the aftermath of November 13, 2015 – a day that will be remembered in infamy – I know the true meaning of international community. In some ways being so close to this horrific event has really solidified the importance of exchange for me. No matter what country we come from, we are one world. We must stand together, and right now we must support the people of France. Nous sommes tous Parisien. Nous sommes tous français.

Julia Lapper

Ben Weinstein -- Taiwan (Home Club: Delmar)

November 11, 2015

A recent post on Ben's blog:

http://weijiemingthewaiguoren.weebly.com/blog/an-introduction-to-the-taiwanese-school-system

Julia Lapper -- France (Home Club: Glens Falls)

November 12, 2015

When I got an email last week asking if I had sent in my second monthly report yet, it suddenly hit me how quickly this year is going by already. It’s now been more than 2 months since I stepped off the plane in Paris, and even though I have adjusted to life abroad, I still encounter new and foreign things everyday.

    October was very eventful. At the beginning of the month every exchange student from my district got together for the first time since our orientation. Together we all hopped on a tour bus and headed 4 hours west to Normandy. Our first stop was in beautiful Honfleur, a typical Normandy fishing town, followed by Arromanche a small town nestled right on the famous beaches of Normandy where troops landed during World War II. I have never felt closer to history than when I saw first hand the remains of barges left on the beach, walked along the cliffs and visited the war memorial. It was a truly moving experience. After Arromanche we headed to Bayeux where we stayed for the night before driving the rest of the way to our destination, Mont-Saint-Michel, in the morning.

    When we arrived at the Mont, where the Rotary multi-district conference was being held, we joined a group of nearly 300 exchange students for a 3 hour trek through the quick sands at the base of the Mont at low tide. Looking around I could hardly believe that it was real life. I never imagined that I would be in such a magnificent place and meet so many amazing people from all over the world. We spent two days singing, dancing, laughing and exploring the Mont before getting back on the bus and returning to Île-de-France.

    After falling back into my school routine for one more week, first term ended and I prepared for the Paris-Barcelona bus trip. Monday morning, October 19th, I headed into Paris with my friend Amanda, and we boarded another tour bus with 38 students from other districts excited for what the next 8 days would have in store for us. The trip started with two days of sightseeing in Paris, two days of driving with stops in Chenonceaux and Carcassonne before crossing the border into Spain, where we spent two days in Barcelona and one in Figueres before returning to Paris. The highlights of the trip included visits to Montmartre, the beautiful Châteaus of Versaille and Chenonceaux, Sagrada Família, Museo Picasso, and Dalí Theatre-Museum. In the end the bus trip was a great experience, but going back home to Lagny was bitter sweet. It’s truly amazing how much common ground you can find with people from all over the world, and the time spent together is made even more valuable not knowing when or if you will ever see them again.

    When I got home I spent the second week of my vacation nursing a massive cold, which was inevitable after spending 8 days in a bus with 38 teenagers, before returning to school to start second term. All in all it was a great month full of unforgettable experiences.

Adam Boese -- Brazil (Home Club: Schenectady)

October 9, 2015

Despite not celebrating Halloween in Brazil, I had been counting the days until Halloween if only to feel my connection to the US. However, I was still surprised when I woke up on October 31^st because it meant that another month had ended without my notice. I often feel as if time is slipping at an unusually quick pace and I think this has to do with the fact that I am always at least acutely aware that each day signifies that I am a little bit closer to the end of my time here. It is as terrifying as being constantly being aware that you are getting closer to your inevitable death. Sure you might take more risks but most people prefer to pretend they’re going to live forever.

                I have done a lot with the finite amount of time I have. I meet an absurd amount of people every week as people are very interested in meeting a gringo. As being a novelty begins to feel lonely at times, I am glad to be finding people that I have formed friendships with as well. I also continue to do jujitsu and go to school every week day both of which I enjoy almost as much as my weekends (sometimes more). Over the weekends my host family and I usually do something such as watch the newest episode of the walking dead (today we are going to a circus). This is my last month with the Bonelli’s and I will be very sad to leave them.

                As Saquarema is a beach town I also spend a lot of time on the beach although I have yet to find a good time to learn how to surf because my instructor wants to wait until there are better waves for a beginner. That’s pretty much all of I have been doing but I am also happy to report that pretty much all of my homesickness faded earlier in the month.